I *am* going on a senior trip this session – I’m canoeing in the war canoes again with trip leader R, and staff members P and C. I was really nervous at first, but now I realize a lot of my anxiety came from not knowing exactly what trip I was on at the start. Now that I know where I’m going and how I’m getting there, I feel a lot better. The trip is going to be amazing – we’re circumnavigating Orcas Island in two war canoes… talk about an experience of a lifetime! I’ll be sure to take a lot of photos and write details down in my journal so hopefully I can share them with everyone afterwards.

Classes on the Craft Courts have been going fabulously, too. My dance classes are preparing both for their flash mob perfomance and their talent show performance. The flash mob is the same as last session, and their talent show piece is actually a beginning hip hop piece that I used last year for the studio’s hip hop class. Super easy choreographically on my end!!

I don’t want to think about the end of the summer, but I can’t help being excited to be home again. I’m really missing friends&family, but definitely don’t want to say goodbye to camp friends. Can’t I just keep them with me, all year long?? Be home before I know it, but I’m lovin’ the last bits of camp, too. Hope all is well outside our little bubble!

The end of the session is pretty fantastic. We have the same four last evening activities each session – Talent/No Talent, Pins & Slides, CT Dance, and Last Evening Fire. Each of these four activities is SO MUCH FUN, and means a lot to all of the campers.

Talent/No Talent is the camp-wide talent show where students and staff alike are encouraged to perform for the rest of the camp community. This year, there were 2 drama performances, several song/skits from the senior trips and camper groups/individuals, a parade puppet show, random acts including a nerd rap, camper/counselor Irish jig, and also my dance class. I technically had two classes this session, but one class only had four dancers, so I combined the two classes for the performance. Based on a suggestion from my session-long collaborater – K, the kiddos performed “The Hard-Knock Life” from Annie. I think the kids really enjoyed it, and I’ve received lots of compliments and praise from a lot of the staff that was at the show. The entire show was a success, I feel, and it was the first night we saw tears out of the campers.

Pins & Slides is a wonderful night where the entire camp meets inside the lodge for each activity area to award a pin to several campers, occasionally a staff member, and we watch the session slide show, put together by camp’s photographer. It’s really wonderful to be part of the staff that decides which campers to honor with an activity area pin. We have to consider all the campers that take classes in our particular area, and discuss which of those campers best embodies the spirit of, not only that camp as a whole, but also our particular areas. Being in the craft courts, we look for campers that are – obviously, creative – but also willing to venture out of their own comfort zones and also be willing to assist the teacher and/or other students mainly without prompting from the instructor. I was so fortunate to receive my craft pin at the end of second session last year, and I feel that recognizing individual campers in such a way is so important. A lot of times, campers that spend a lot of time on the Craft Courts may not be particularly boisterous, or noticed around camp in other ways, and an activity area pin may be one of the few ways they are ever singled out in such a positive way. The slideshow is also such a wonderful gift – it’s fun to look back on particular instances from throughout the session, and usually starts a parade of tears, too.

CT Dance is, a highlight for campers and staff alike, and also probably the one activity that is least like the rest of camp. It’s most comparable to a school dance – we don’t require uniforms, and we play recorded music from ‘outside’ camp. We had a really great time this year – as both sessions last year – and this year D and I gave our girls a special treat afterwards: we headed down to the dock and let them take a dip in the sound to cool off. It was a lot of fun to see them having a good time and to know that they will remember that particular evening for a good while.

Last Evening Fire is probably the most special of the last evening activities. Regular Evening Fires are pretty special, in and of themselves, but the last night of camp is just magnified with this specific event. Individual acts are still allowed of course, but there are slots reserved for a senior camper/counselor song, senior trip group songs, and a staff song or two. This year, the staff sang “Where the Children Play” by Cat Stevens. Surprisingly, my waterworks were at an all-time low throughout Evening Fire, though I did tear up twice, I think. I really started crying after we left the lodge; two Candlelighters are named at the end of Evening Fire – one senior boy and one senior girl – and then the entire camp congregates outside the lodge with a candle, and we sing songs underneath the night sky with only our candles. After all the candles are extinguished and we’ve finished singing, it’s a huge hug/love-fest and MANY tears are shed. I only cried once, looking at all the little lights in our circle, feeling the energy of all the other gypsies around me. What an incredibly special evening; it’s very hard to put it into words.

After all the campers left this morning, staff had some time to spend cleaning camp again, and we heard our official assignments for next session. To my surprise, I will not be staying in Rocky Point with intermediates next session, I am moving back into my old abode – Seven Seas, with senior campers. I’m really excited to get to be back in a cabin that I’m comfortable with but also nervous about the possibility of senior trips. I didn’t go on the 6-day trip away from camp at all last year, but I’m not counting my eggs before they’ve hatched. Promise to keep you updated!

After we finish up our time in town, A, H and I are heading to A’s house on Shaw Island where we’ll enjoy some extreme relaxing. We’re going to rent some movies from the market in town, and stock up on food and just CHILL. I’m so ready for that! It’ll be super amazing to have some time to recharge and come back more than ready for second session.

I know that this is a terribly long entry, and my fingers are actually out of practice on a keyboard. I miss all my ATX peeps terribly, but am going to live the next month and a half to the fullest I am able. Mucho gypsy love!!

I am a co-counselor of Rocky Point this year, the “highest” intermediate cabin on girl’s side. The cabins are all arranged somewhat hierarchially, though there are at least three intermediate cabins made up of girls that are 13 and going into the 8th grade in the fall. We have five girls in our cabin, and they are all FABULOUS! My co-counselor, D, and I got really lucky that we have such great girls; they all get all amazingly well and we’re all having a great time so far.

After the first three days of camp, we actually got to leave camp as a cabin group for a three day trip involving a war canoe, the greatest trip leader – A, lots of great trip food, stops at a campsite on the other side of the island and one at a state park on a neighboring island, and LOTS of paddling. It was huge amounts of hard work, but we definitely bonded as a cabin group and learned lots about each other, and ourselves. I really enjoyed the canoe trip – I’ll see if I can post some of the amazing pictures we got of a sunset our second night out, as well as some photos of our campsites and the shelter tarps that I, yes ME, helped to set up. As much fun as we had, it was more than wonderful to be back at camp, see everyone again, and get back into the swing of having a set schedule again.

Last night’s evening activity was Craftapalooza, which involved seeeeveral different ‘crafty’ activities going on around camp and I got to lead dance [of course] which was pretty fun, if I do say so myself. It started as just a mini-dance party, but then I led some campers – and couselors, too! – in a short little combo. People were laughing and smiling, so I’m assuming that means they had a good time!

That’s all I can think of to share right now – I know there was lots more that I wanted to write about, but my brain isn’t at its fully competent/functioning stage yet due to a lack of caffeine. Hope everyone’s doing well, I miss you all loads! Don’t forget to send me letters/postcards if you like – I write back! Letters and such can go to:

Lindsey Jo Gardner
FW*WH
PO Box 140
Deer Harbor, WA 98243

I’ll try to update again soon. Gypsy love!

I’m working with a co-counselor in an intermediate cabin this summer, and I’m super excited to meet my girls.

Gotta go now – I think we’re up for shower house orientation with Joe! Hopefully I’ll have some time to update again tomorrow.

I will be roadtripping up to Orcas this year with my friend Erika [who is working as barn specialist], Hattie [who is flying from England to Austin and making the drive] and we will pick up Sophie in Colorado after the first leg of the trip. I’ll try to make a few posts along the way, and will definitely try to be more active in posting throughout the summer.

Don’t have much else for right now – more updates soooooon!

I didn’t have any younger kids for my class yesterday at the Orcas Center, sadly. There’s A LOT of activities going on right now for kids that age though, so I sort of understand. I just wish I’d had a chance to work with some of the fantastic kids here, besides the kiddos in my middle school classes. Susan says if I come back for the second half of the arts project in the spring, she’ll make sure there’s more publicity for the younger kids so that I’ll have more show up for classes the second time around. I’m really looking forward to classes tomorrow and Thursday with the adults again – they all seemed to really enjoy the jazz classes, so I really can’t wait for them to experience my love for lyrical dance. I know a bunch of them are confused as to what exactly lyrical is, so hopefully this will answer questions that they have, and that they’ll just be willing to work super hard and give me all they got.

Susan and Joe are off-island today, so I’m on my own. I’m hoping to spend most of my day in East Sound, where I’m in the library right now, so that I don’t have to drive back and forth too much – especially if I don’t have any little ones in my children’s class again today. I’m gonna be here in the library for a while longer, and then I have to go to the market for sure. After, I think I might wander around town – grab some lunch for sure, and then maybe I can find a nice WARM spot to stay and read my book for a while. [This is the second day that's more than likely going to stay below freezing. BRRRRRRR]

Tomorrow with the middle schoolers, I’m going to start putting all the concepts/elements that they’ve learned with me into some choreography. Susan is going to bring her 3rd graders over on Friday morning, and we’re going to have a bit of a show-n-tell with our two groups; hopefully it’ll be good for both groups, and the 7th/8th graders will be on their best behavior. We’ve gotten through all of the locomotor movements, and we’ve spent a few days on non-locomotor movements this week. I’m going to put those together with some other elements of dance to make a little combination, and have the younger students see if they can pick out all the elements. The 3rd grade students are going to show us their “machine” – non-locomotor movements with a partner, focusing on the action/reaction aspect. Should be a really great morning, I just don’t know how we’re going to fit it all into the one hour that I have with these kiddos!

After Susan’s done teaching at the middle school that day, I’ll get a ride to the ferry landing which’ll take me back to Anacortes and then I’ll catch the shuttle to take me back to SeaTac. I’m bummed that I’m gonna miss the Four Winds Christmas party at the Babcock’s that night, but I definitely have to be back in Austin to work on Saturday. I’m taking the red-eye out, which means my flight doesn’t leave SeaTac until just before midnight on Friday, and I’ll get into ABIA about 830am on Saturday. Thankfully, Susan’s going to try and grab the new Harry Potter DVD for me while she’s out today, so that I’ll have something new to watch that night on the plane.

This might be my last update from Orcas – who knows if I’ll post again from the airport – all really depends on whether or not I can get wireless!! Hope everyone’s having a good week – I’ll see all you Austin peoples this weekend!

My week with the middle schoolers went by very quickly, but took it’s time, as well. We got a lot done in our first week together, and I feel that if they’re not completely embracing what I’m bringing – they’re at least not 100% resisting it, either. There are always those that could really care less, but I think there’s a large group that are enjoying the program, and relishing the chance to do something other than their regular PE classes.

Had my adult master classes at Orcas Center, both Thursday and Friday nights this past week. I was a little worried about them, only because I didn’t have a great turn-out for the children’s classes, but those worries were unfounded. I had 12-15 people, each night, and especially once everyone let go of their worries/fears/anxieties/whatever – we had a BLAST. We had great music, great energy, and some fun combinations to work on, across the floor and for choreography at the end. It was just jazz technique that week – which I didn’t realize I missed teaching so much – and this coming week will be some lyrical, which I’m possibly even MORE excited about doing with them. Hopefully I’ll get most of them back on Wednesday and Thursday of this coming week, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that I get some wee-urchins for Monday and Tuesday’s classes.

Last night was the community band concert, with Joe as director and conductor, and it was so much fun!! Rest assured, my Blackberry was in my lap the whole time, and I – as a well-educated theater goer – only checked the scores of the Texas/Nebraska game in between numbers, but I DEFINITELY was keeping track of that game. Needless to say, I was QUITE nervous during those last few moments of the game, and really could’ve let out a cry of anguish/relief before and after news of the winning field goal. But ANYWAY – after the concert, we stayed in town for a little while longer and went to listen to some jazz music at one of the restaurants in East Sound. It was such a treat to get to hear live jazz… and it was more than phenomonal as well! Joe was definitely a local celebrity last night – but really, when is he not? – and we had a wonderful evening of fantastic music. It was a great way to end a good week, that’s for sure.

Today, Susan’s playing with music on my computer – and totally excited about all the music she’s gonna have. Joe’s now sitting down to watch the Cowboys game, and I’m just chillin’ on the couch with my book… at which I’m sure you’re all terribly surprised.

I’m gonna try to walk around camp a little more – I spent about 1.5-2 hours exploring my favorite spots on Wednesday – I have to see more before I leave on Friday. It’s certainly a wonderful experience to be back up here, but I still miss my other gypsies. Keeping my fingers crossed to see Ali at the airport on Friday!! I’ll try to update again, of course, before I head home though.

Hope all is well – sending love to the ATX, and to Vegas too for a few days – HAVE FUN, KERRI!! I’ll be back in Texas EARRRRRRRRRRRLY Saturday morning…hooray for the red-eye. NOT.

My trip up here was pretty uneventful – no problems with either of my flights, and I got to the hotel without issue too. Sunday morning took the airport shuttle back to the airport and then jumped on the 3hr shuttle that took me to Anacortes, and then took the ferry to Orcas. Susan picked me up, and I tell you it was the weirdest feeling driving back through the gates onto camp property, knowing there weren’t many people around. Surprisingly, I didn’t cry [yay me!!] but I did have to catch my breath for a moment – it is camp, after all!

So, yesterday was my first morning at the middle/high school for dance classes. Thankfully, Susan went with me and introduced me to a lot of the coaching staff that I’m “working with”. [I only quote that, because I'm taking their classes for two weeks.] Got off to a bit of a rocky start, but I once I was goin with the kids, it was pretty smooth sailing. We started with just talking about the space that we would be working in – space is one of the elements of dance that they have to identify – as well as we began distinguishing between locomoter and non-locomoter movements. The hour I had with them went by SO QUICKLY, and it was over before I knew it.

After I was done, I went around East Sound with Susan on some errands and then we were back at the house. Susan went to work at the FWWH office for a while – where I got to meet Emily Glass, who is the new Assistant Director for camp – and then I picked her up to go back into town for my master class at Orcas Center. I’ve been really excited about these master classes for a really long time, and was a little disappointed yesterday, in that I only had 2 kids show up for class. Hopefully there will be a few more tonight, but I know that there’s been an email goin’ around to a lot of the dancing adult population about my classes both this week and next week, so I’m counting on several showing up for those classes.

Joined Susan for the pilates classes she was teaching last night, and only made it through one – shows you how out of shape my core is!! But she’s teaching/taking several a week, so I’m hoping to join up for a bunch more before I head home. (Speaking of, I can really feel my lower abs today! Glad to know they’re still there!!)

Susan and I had some wonderful halibut for dinner last night, and spent a fantastic evening talking about STUFF. And good stuff it was.

This morning I headed up to OHS on my own, and had a great class with the kiddos, talking about some of the basic locomotor movements. Today we had activities for crawling, walking, and running, and we’ll pick back up with running again tomorrow. We got A LOT done, and I think the kids were testing their boundaries with me a little more, but I hope they still had a good time. I received compliments from several staff members who’d been in and out of the gym, so hopefully the fantastic trend will continue!

I’m hangin’ at the library now, and will run to the market when I’m done here before heading back to the house for a little lunch, before my master class for tonight! Hope all is well – I’m tryin’ to stay warm with the brrrrrrr-y weather up here, but I hear Texas isn’t much better right now! Sending to love to those in the ATX and elsewhere…see you in two weeks!

So yes – I’m going back up to Orcas Island for two weeks; I’ll be teaching dance in the middle school, as well as several master classes at Orcas Center. Still working on going through all the paperwork and information Susan sent me on writing the dance portion of the arts curriculum for the middle school age group, but it’s fun reading all of it. Definitely combining my two passions – dance, and formal instruction in a classroom setting.

I leave Austin on the 28th, Miss Kayla’s birthday, and am very much looking forward to spending the night with her, before heading up to Orcas the next day. Then I’ll take an overnight flight back to Austin on the 11th/12th [hopefully after seeing camp!Ali at the airport!] and be back in Austin to work at Pier 1 on the 12th.

Really looking forward to being back up on the island, seeing the Babcock’s and other year-round camp staff again – it’s going to feel very surreal, I know. And very COLD. But I shall persevere.

Keep checking back for updates; I’ll update a few more times before I actually leave, and I have a feeling that I’ll have plenty of time to update during my time on the island. OI Forever!

Really enjoyed my day off with Aaron; actually came back here [to Susan's] for dinner and to enjoy the finale of SYTYCD – what an incredible show!! It was some much needed relaxation time, and it was practically the perfect chill day for both of us. 

My girls leave tomorrow on their separate senior trips, effectively transforming me into a specialist for 6 days – I won’t have any off periods from the Craft Courts, but I also will have more free time to myself outside of activity times because I won’t have campers. I’m really going to enjoy the free time, but I know that by the third or fourth day, I’ll be missing my girls terribly and will be more than ready for them to come home to camp. 

I booked my plane home just a little while ago. It feels so weird to be thinking of leaving this place that has been my home for the past month and a half – moving around up here feels so natural now, it’s weird. But every other-worldly experience has to end sometime, I guess, and it’ll be kinda nice to be out of our little “bubble” up here. Can’t wait for my Chuy’s and barbecue, though!!

I’m going to take the opportunity to enjoy the rest of my free evening, before I have to join back up with everyone for singing before bed. Love you all!